Scénické krajiny – a co ty ostatní? Scenic Landscapes – And What about the Others

• Main Author: Jaromír Kolejka
• Format: Article
• Language: slk
• Published: Institute of Landscape Ecology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences 2020-06-01
• Series: Životné prostredie
• Subjects: scenic landscapes; visual features; land cover; artificial landscapes
• Online Access: http://147.213.211.222/sites/default/files/ZP_2020_03_142_147_kolejka.pdf

This article examines scenic landscape. It sets out the definition of a scenic landscape, the criteria used in their classification, the possibilities of identifying it in the field and finally presents examples from a number of ethnographic and geographical regions of historical land of Moravia in the Czech Republic. The author envisages the scenic landscape as a territory that evokes a favourable response in the human mind, whether calming or activating. The main characteristic of the scenic landscape is apparent in diversity of visual features of relief and land cover. These factors significantly affect the attractiveness of both natural and cultural landscapes for the human eye. The historical overview explores the promotional, political and artistic values of the beautiful landscape and its commercial significance. Artificial landscapes of parks and aesthetic modifications of large areas are briefly mentioned and the author then cites examples of the most widespread methods of studying the visual aspects of the landscape. These include the landscape view, composed landscapes and landscape perception. The criteria for classifying scenic landscapes include: the origin, timing, originality, length and form of existence and the form of documentation. The occurrence of scenic landscapes in an actual territory is due to the relatively higher diversity of visual characteristics compared to the surrounding relief and land cover and also the great variability in visual manifestations over time. A most important condition is the existence of a suitable outlook point so that scenic landscapes can be observed across valleys, from a distance and from top to bottom. Finally, the types of scenic landscapes presented herein cover individual Moravian regions and the need to make scenic landscapes accessible by building appropriate outlooks is strongly emphasised.